Li Qingzhao. Chapters I–IІІ / Translation from Chinese, Introductory article and Commentaries by H. Dashchenko

This publication for the first time in Chinese studies presents a translation of chapters I–IІІ (episodes 1–28) of the historical novel “Li Qingzhao” (“李清照”) by the Hong Kong writer Nan Gongbo (南宮搏, 1924–1983). It is the first known attempt to create a fictionalized version of the biography of the great Chinese female poet Li Qingzhao (1084–1155?). The novel was published from April 26 to December 18, 1960 in Taiwan in the Central Daily News (中央日報), one of the oldest Chinese language newspapers in the world and the official newspaper of the Kuomintang. A key element of the novel’s composition is shi and ci poetry written by Chinese poets of the Tang (唐朝, 618–907) and Song (宋朝, 960–1279) dynasties, which is used as a basis for the plot. “Li Qingzhao” has never been republished in a newspaper or published as a book. It is partly due to the extremely strong emotional reaction of readers, literary critics, and journalists, who considered the novel as a desecration of the poet’s memory. It has also never been studied by Chinese, Taiwanese, or Western scholars, and has never been translated into a foreign language. Some Taiwanese scholars list this novel as the lost one. The introductory article provides information about the author, the history of the novel’s publication, and the criticism concerning it. The notes provide explanations of terms and realities as well as brief information about historical characters mentioned in the novel.